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CL Answer

All About Thyroid Supplements & Desiccated Thyroid Extract (Armour Thyroid)

Learn about supplement ingredients such as iodine, selenium, zinc, acetyl-l-carnitine, ashwagandha and guggul used for thyroid conditions and find out if they are beneficial. Also learn why ingredients such as alpha-lipoic acid, soy, resveratrol, quercetin may impair thyroid function.

Woman holding various vitamins and supplements in one hand and glass of water in the other

CL Answer

I take levothyroxine (Synthroid), a thyroid hormone to treat hypothyroidism. Are there supplements or foods I should avoid, or be taking, due to this drug?

Is taking certain supplements and hypothyroidism medications bad? Learn which supplements can interact with thyroid hormone medications like levothyroxine (Synthroid), thyroid hormone levels, and laboratory tests.

Levothyroxine (Synthroid) Supplement Interactions

Product Review

Kelp Supplements Review

Choose the Best Kelp Supplement. Be Cautious With Kelp! Only 50% of Supplements Pass CL's Review.

Kelp Supplements Reviewed by ConsumerLab.com

Product Review

Potassium Iodide (KI) and Iodate (KIO3) Radioprotective Pills Review

Learn How to Choose the Best Radioprotective Iodine Pill and Use It Properly

Product Review

Seaweed Snacks and Foods Review

Tests Reveal Seaweed Snack Risks

Product Review

Zinc Supplements, Lozenges, and Melts Review

Find the Best Zinc Supplements, Including Lozenges for Colds.

Zinc Review 2024

CL Answer

Does WEEM Grow Hair and Is It Worth It?

WEEM Hair.Skin.Nails is marketed as a "clinically tested hair health blend.” Find out if it — or its ingredients — works for hair loss and if it's worth the price.

Bottle of WEEM Hair.Skin.Nails

Product Review

Multivitamin and Multimineral Supplements Review

32% Failed our Tests. Choose Your Multivitamin Carefully.

Multivitamins Review 2026

CL Answer

Can biotin supplements really strengthen nails or improve hair? Can other supplements help?

Learn more about strengthening brittle nails with vitamin B-7 (biotin), based on clinical evidence.

Supplements for Brittle Nails -- healthy nails

CL Answer

What are trace minerals and do I need them?

Trace minerals include boron, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, zinc, and others. Find out what they do, how much of each trace mineral you should be getting, and who's most likely to be deficient in these minerals.

Trace Minerals - What are they and do you need them?

Product Review

Plant-Based Milks Review (Almond, Cashew, Coconut, Flax, Hemp, Macadamia, Oat, Pea, and Soy)

Find the Best Non-Dairy Milk Alternative. ConsumerLab Tests Reveal What's Really In Plant-Based Milks.

Plant Based Milks reviewed by ConsumerLab.com

Product Review

NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) Supplements Review

Choose the Best NAC Supplement and Save Money

NAC Review 2026

Product Review

Beetroot Juices, Powders, and Chews Review

Our Tests Show Which Beetroot Products Have the Most Nitrate, Least Lead, and Lowest Cost

Beetroot Review 2025

Product Review

CoQ10 and Ubiquinol Supplements Review

Find the Best CoQ10 and Ubiquinol Supplements and Learn How They Differ

CoQ10 2024

Clinical Update

1/13/2025

Iron & Thyroid Function

Iron deficiency can cause an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), but it’s important that iron not be taken at the same time as thyroid medication. Get the details in our Iron Supplements Review, which includes our Top Picks for iron.

Also see our article about supplements and thyroid function.

Clinical Update

1/30/2025

Armour Thyroid: FDA Status

Is Armour Thyroid, a thyroid extract preferred by some people over levothyroxine (Synthroid), approved by the FDA and covered by insurance? Find out in our article about supplements for hypothyroidism.

Clinical Update

6/21/2022

Thyroid Product Caution

Use of a popular thyroid product may interfere with important thyroid tests, according to recent reports. Get the details in our article about Supplements and Hypothyroidism.

Clinical Update

11/05/2021

Fluoride and Hypothyroidism?

Can fluoride in toothpaste affect thyroid function? Find out what research suggests in our updated article about what to look for, or avoid, in toothpaste.

Clinical Update

11/08/2022

Thyroid Concern with NAC

A form of NAC was recently found to contain excess levels of iodide that caused hypothyroidism. Get the details, including the product used and symptoms that occurred, in the Concerns and Cautions section of our NAC Supplements Review.

Clinical Update

11/21/2023

Vitamin D for Thyroid Disease?

Does taking vitamin D improve thyroid function in women with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis? See what a recent study found in the What It Does section of our Vitamin D Supplements Review, which includes our Top Picks for vitamin D.

Also see: I take levothyroxine (Synthroid), a thyroid hormone to treat hypothyroidism. Are there supplements or foods I should avoid, or be taking?

Clinical Update

10/24/2020

How Good Is Generic Thyroid Medication?

How well do people with hypothyroidism do on generic versions of levothyroxine (Synthroid)? We've added new information about this to our article about levothyroxine and dietary supplements.

Clinical Update

9/02/2017

Ashwagandha & Thyroid Function

Ashwagandha extract improved thyroid hormone levels in men and women with subclinical hypothyroidism in a new study. See the details in the "What It Does" section of our Ashwagandha Supplements Review -- which includes our Top Pick among ashwagandha supplements.

Clinical Update

1/28/2018

A Case of Too Much Iodine

A woman with hypothyroidism was hospitalized due to a change in mental state and physical symptoms resulting from getting too much iodine from iodine-containing supplements. For details and upper limits for iodine intake, see the Concerns and Cautions section of the Kelp Supplements Review.

CL Answer

Here’s What You Should Look For In Toothpaste and Mouthwash, and Our Top Picks

Learn about ingredients you want in your toothpaste, mouthwash and other dental products and which ingredients you may want to avoid.

Toothpaste in the shape of question mark coming out from toothpaste tube

CL Answer

Dietary Supplements and Herbs to Avoid When Breastfeeding

Find out which supplements should be avoided when breastfeeding, including medicinal herbs, soy, and flaxseed.

Herbs and Supplements to Avoid When Breastfeeding

CL Answer

Are Moringa Leaf Supplements Helpful and Safe?

Are moringa leaf supplements beneficial for diabetes, lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, improving liver function, and other conditions, and are they safe? Find out.

Fresh moringa leaves under a white bowl containing moringa leaf powder that is next to capsules of moringa leaf

Clinical Update

8/05/2012

Be Careful with Iodine -- Especially If You're Pregnant

Unlike over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements are generally not required to carry warning labels, even if they contain toxic amounts of ingredients. If you don't know how much of a vitamin, mineral, or other ingredient you really need, it's easily possible to get too much. This is what seems to have happened to some pregnant women taking a widely-sold iodine supplement, according to a recent medical report. Just one tablet contained 57 times the daily iodine they needed and more than ten times the limit associated with increased risk of toxicity. Their children were born with congenital hypothyroidism, apparently due to getting too much iodine from their mothers.

Find out which product these women took in the updated Iodine section of the Multivitamin Supplements Review. You'll also find appropriate levels of other vitamins and minerals and see which products in the Review did or did not exceed tolerable intake levels of vitamins and minerals. More >>

CL Answer

Do hair loss supplements, such as Viviscal, Hair La Vie, and Nutrafol, or topical essential oils work?

Vitamins and supplements that may help with hair loss and thinning, including saw palmetto, beta-sitosterol, protein, iron, and vitamin D.

Supplements for Hair Loss -- woman looking at hairbrush

Product Review

Vitamin D Supplements Review (Including Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin K, and Boron)

Find the Best Vitamin D Supplement and Avoid Problems

Vitamin D Review 2024

CL Answer

What are the health benefits of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), and is it safe?

Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is commonly promoted for its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects. Find out if it works.

Woman holding her wrist due to joint pain

CL Answer

Which vitamins and supplements should be stopped before getting blood work, laboratory tests, or medical imaging?

Find out which vitamins and supplements can interfere with blood, urine or stool tests, and imaginging tests, like bone scans and MRIs. Learn how B vitamins such as biotin, niacin and riboflavin, as well as calcium supplements, St. John’s wort, vitamin C, and others supplements can affect test results, as well as common foods that may interfere with tests.

Vitamin & Supplements to Stop Before Blood Tests

Recalls & Warnings

September 21, 2023

Moor Herbs, Inc Warned for Manufacturing Violations, Drug Claims

On August 1, 2023, the FDA issued a Warning Letter to Moor Herbs, Inc.

CL Answer

Can taking CoQ10 affect my thyroid levels or interact with my thyroid medication?

Learn more about CoQ10 and thyroid medications along with natural thyroid function. ConsumerLab.com's answer explains.

Elderly Woman Checking Thyroid Gland

CL Answer

Which supplements help to improve energy and decrease fatigue?

Energy supplements and vitamins - Some can help increase energy and reduce fatigue, including CoQ10, curcumin/turmeric, cocoa, and B vitamins.

Supplements to Improve Energy and Decrease Fatigue -- tired woman yawning at desk

CL Answer

Best Supplements to Prevent Age-Related Muscle Loss

Discover the top supplements to prevent age-related muscle loss after 60. Learn how protein, fish oil, vitamin D, and more can help maintain muscle strength and combat sarcopenia.

Protein Review 2026

CL Answer

Do sea moss and carrageenan have health benefits? Are there risks?

Sea moss is promoted for thyroid health, boosting immunity, improving gut health, and other uses. Find out if it works and learn about possible side effects of sea moss and its constituent, carrageenan.

Sea moss in a clear bowl next to a wooden spoon on the countertop

CL Answer

What is Perque Bone Guard Forté? It is safe and effective for bone health?

Find out about the ingredients in Perque Bone Guard Forté, including which ingredients may be beneficial for osteoporosis and bone health and which may be a safety concern.

Bottle of Perque Bone Guard Forte

CL Answer

Can any supplements reverse gray hair?

Nearly 75% of adults aged 45 to 65 are affected by gray hair. Learn about what causes gray hair and find out if any supplements can help.

A young woman shows gray hair on her head on a white background

Recalls & Warnings

June 13, 2024

Thyroid Supplement Recalled Due to Salmonella

On June 11, 2024, Penn Herb Company Ltd issued a recall of 51 bottles of Nature’s Wonderland Thyroid Formula capsules after FDA testing revealed the products to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Recalls & Warnings

April 23, 2013

Seller of Digestion, Thyroid and Vitamin D Supplements Warned For Drug Claims

On November 5, 2012, the FDA issued a warning letter to The Women's Health Institute at Texas following a review of the company's various websites which found statements made about Digest + SEB, Iodine Plus 2, and D5000 Vitamin D dietary supplements to be drug claims.

Recalls & Warnings

April 08, 2017

Woman Dies After Receiving Turmeric Infusion

On March 16, 2017, a San Diego, California woman died days after receiving an IV infusion of turmeric.   Jade Erick, age 30, suffered a brain injury and cardiac arrest after receiving the first 5 mL of a 250 mL infusion of turmeric in the office of a naturopathic doctor.

Recalls & Warnings

January 23, 2014

Many Thyroid Supplements Contain Thyroid Hormones -- Risk of Thyrotoxicosis

A recent study found that 9 out of 10 supplements marketed for "thyroid support" and purchased at retail stores or on the Internet contained actual thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and/or triiodothyronine (T3), posing a risk to consumers.